Remus' Birthdays
by Moony1972
Summary: In honour of our favourite werewolf's birthday. How he celebrated every one he had. One shot.


**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY REMUS LUPIN! And, er, anyone else who shares the same birthday...This was written in celebration. Lightheartedness, about nothing, really.**

**I wrote this on his birthday, but, er, I'm posting it now because I was tired. And then I forgot...wow. Enjoy, anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or Remus. Or James. Or Sirius. Or Peter. I think you get the idea.**

First Birthday

Well, I don't really remember much about this day. I know it was special. That's what my parents always said. It was the best day of their life. The day I was born. And it was my first. So, I know it was special. It was excellent. I had a chocolate mousse. Apparently my chocolate addiction had started way back then.

Second Birthday

Well, er, I turned two. Yay me. I still have my gift from this birthday. It was from the Muggle world. My mum knew about magic. That was how she met dad; or so I think. They don't really tell me. But that's besides the point. The point is that I got a nice, little Muggle magic wand to play with. According to my dad, though, I never really used it right. I bit it. Oops.

Third Birthday

I had started going to a daycare because my mum and dad wanted me to start getting to know kids my age. So I had a birthday party. My best friend was a wizard, though. A halfblood, just like me. Only...his parents wanted to send him abroad. I don't really remember where, I was three! But I think this party was fun. I got a book! The Tales of Beedle and Bard had the best stories ever. I thought they were interesting. My favourite used to be the one about the Cackling Stump, I'd make my mum read it to me all the time!

Fourth Birthday

I didn't know that today would be my last birthday as a normal human. I mean, I still had fun, though...Jackson (he was my best friend), he came over. My parents were happy that I was spending it with my friend, but I guess they missed me too. I remember getting a model plane to play with. It was charmed to fly, but I had to be careful so that I didn't fly it when other Muggles were watching. This is actually the first birthday where I could remember some things! And there were many pictures, I wish I took some with my parents. Jackson and I were quite the pair, actually. I thought that without him, my birthdays wouldn't be as fun.

Fifth Birthday

I'd been very tired on this day. It was a week after the full moon, and I was _five_! I hadn't caught up on all my sleep. Jackson and I used to plan sleepovers _all the time_, and today was supposed to be the sleepover for my birthday, as I had missed his - it was on the full moon. I'm pretty certain Jackson would not have wanted me to stay the night of a full moon with him. I was becoming slightly distant with Jackson. I had never hid something from his before, and it was hard work. But it was nice. My parents got me a snow globe, and it was pretty. I kept it. It was charmed, so sometimes I would be alone on a sunny day in there, or gloomy. Or I'd be playing with Jackson. It always made me smile.

Sixth Birthday

Sometimes I wish this day never happened. I wish I stayed five. Because when I turned six, I had to move for the first time. On my birthday. We couldn't stay. I was being pelted with stones by the rest of the neighbours, and people told me I deserved to die. I was six. Jackson and his family had worked it out, but they didn't keep it a secret. He told everyone. I wish it never happened. I had felt what it was like to be abandoned for the first time on this day. I had moved on my birthday. After being abandoned.

Seventh Birthday

Of all birthdays I had experienced, this was the first I remembered crystal clearly. I celebrated the entire morning with my family. It was now when I thought it was karma; why I had had to spend my entire birthday with just my family. I had asked my parents about Hogwarts on this day, when they asked what I wished for. They told me whatever I wished for would come true. It was today that my parents reminded me that it would be impossible for a werewolf to go to Hogwarts. Of all birthdays, I always wondered why this was the first I remembered clearly.

Eighth Birthday

Today I got the best gift I could receive. My dad and mum truly showed how much they loved me today. They gave me the gift of life. Today was the day before full moon. My parents had called a doctor, searching for a cure for my lycanthropy. They had been saving up for a while, to give me the gift of being human for my birthday. This man who came to my house was special; he was the first ministry worker to search for a cure for my problem. Only he tried to poison me. My mum had reminded my dad of the bezoar, and he stuffed it in my throat. We lost the case against him – apparently all werewolves deserved nothing less than death. Death was the appropriate cure.

Ninth Birthday

I was older, but I didn't really remember this birthday. I couldn't. I slept through most of the day, and then I transformed, beating myself up. It was a bad transformation, but I had worse.

Tenth Birthday

I hadn't even remembered that that day was my birthday. Most of my birthdays had gone like any old day, so I didn't care that on this day, I turned ten. I had been frequently trying to visualize what Hogwarts would be like, so my dad got me _Hogwarts: A History. _I wished again that I would have the opportunity to go to Hogwarts like any other wizard my age.

Eleventh Birthday

I do believe that from the day I was bitten, this had to be the best birthday I had had. There had been a knock on the door. When I opened it, there was a kind looking old (he had to be like 150!) man with a long, silver beard and bright, blue twinkling eyes. It was Albus Dumbledore. And he gave me the best birthday gift I could possibly ask for. He gave me an opportunity. An opportunity to prove myself. An opportunity for me to get an education and prove myself. My parents were so pleased. For the first time ever in my life, I went to Diagon Alley as a normal wizard. I got my wand. My dad reckons that I actually held my wand correctly this time.

Twelfth Birthday

This day was my first birthday which I didn't spend with my family. I spent it with my roommates at Hogwarts. They were very friendly to me. They truly made me feel welcome. They got me the most wonderful gifts. James got me a whole Quidditch set, because they knew I loved Quidditch, and Peter got me my dream broom. Sirius, I don't think be worked my other roommates; he got me a pranking set from the new joke shop in Hogsmeade: Zonkos. I reckon he snuck in for me. This was one of the best birthdays I'd experienced. For once, I was able to spend it with people my age, people who seemed to like me. I had hoped that when I turned thirteen, I would be able to celebrate my birthday with my roommates again.

Thirteenth Birthday

This birthday was always one that I remember. My friends surprised me. It was shocking, because I rarely ended up getting surprised. They surprised me, though. And given what had occurred on previous birthdays, I shouldn't have been surprised. But it appeared that my friends had figured out that I was a werewolf. They confronted me. I was so scared, I thought I was going to have to leave the school. However, not only did they keep my lycanthropy a secret, they gave me the best gift of all. They gave me friendship.

Fourteenth Birthday

I had classes on my fourteenth birthday. I do believe that I spent much of this birthday crying. It had started out lovely. My friends had all pitched in and bought the biggest box of chocolate I had ever seen. I had enough to _share_ with them. That, like, never happened. And then I was able to go to my favourite class: Defense Against The Dark Arts. We fought boggarts. My boggart was my friends leaving me. James' was us all dead. Sirius' was his father doing the Cruciatus curse on them. And Peter's...his was a werewolf. As soon as class was over, I ran out of the room, and locked the dormitory door, and cried. Eventually, Peter blasted the door open and told me that it wasn't me he was scared of. It was my other form that I couldn't control. He then told me that he needed me to help him with his homework. I agreed, but I had trouble sleeping that night. I was scared that I would lose one of my best friends.

Fifteenth Birthday

This birthday would prove to be a great accomplishment for us Marauders. It was on my fifteenth birthday that we actually succeeded in charming the Map to show everyone and keep our secrets to ourselves. I added an extra charm without my friends knowing, one that would insult anyone who tried to read it. My gift was the success my friends and I had. We were the first people ever to create a Map of Hogwarts.

Sixteenth Birthday

This was one of the hardest birthdays for me to manage to get through. Sirius had betrayed me. I felt like my heart was constantly being stomped upon. I could see it in James eyes; he was terribly conflicted. He wanted to forgive Sirius, but doing so, he would be betraying me. Peter did whatever James did. I was alone. Not physically, but I knew there was the largest distance between my friends and I. James and Peter didn't get me anything; I think they forgot, given all that had happened in the three to four months prior to my birthday. Sirius left a present at the foot of my bed. He had created an album of me with all my friends, but he blocked out himself. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes, and I still have that album. The next day, I forgave him.

Seventeenth Birthday

One would normally imagine that this was to be the best birthday I had ever had. I was coming of age. But I was alone. No one cared that it was my birthday. I was alone in the Ministry, where they had locked up and tortured werewolves. I had nearly missed all of Sixth Year. I didn't bother telling the workers that it was my birthday. I was used to being alone.

Eighteenth Birthday

My friends threw a huge party for me. It was the best! We went to the Three Broomsticks, and we even brought Lily Evans along! It was a brilliant change from what had happened the previous year. Then I learned that my friends had got the House Elfs to make a giant chocolate cake. Madam Rosmerta also joined the celebration, and I had the most entertaining experience. Peter got drunk, and he ended up in a tub of Firewhisky. Sirius was constantly flirting with Rosmerta. James and Lily were having a lovely time, and tried to include me, but I was more for watching the entertaining show. Luckily, there were no teachers, and we stayed at the pub until the next morning.

Nineteenth Birthday

We weren't in Hogwarts anymore! It was the only birthday I had where I didn't have to worry about getting caught by the teachers when we snuck out. Unfourtunately, though, I had only celebrated it with Sirius. James and Lily had a huge Order mission, and Peter had to run his shop, because he apparently had a lot of big orders coming in. The three sent me cards, attached with a chocolate frog. It made me laugh, as I was certain that they all figured out that I had outgrown my chocolate addiction by that time. Sirius and I stayed in our flat, reminiscing, and, well, being hyper. That was what we did together, when we were alone.

Twentieth Birthday

We all went over to the Potter residence for my twentieth birthday. James was free and Lily was cranky and pregnant. I had a great time with my friends. I suppose that my gift was running around, trying to find food to fit Lily's everchanging cravings. Nevertheless, it was so much fun. We had teased her behind her back, something we hadn't done ever since our Fourth Year.

Twenty-First Birthday

I had no idea that this would be the last birthday I would spend with my friends, together, and as happy people. I spent much of the time entertaining Harry, but James wasn't exactly being subtle with showing him emotions that he didn't want me being with his kid. There was some tension, and I was getting some curious looks by James and Sirius especially. Later, I would learn this was because they had suspected me to be the traitor and working for Voldemort.

Twenty-Second Birthday

This birthday was one of the most depressing I had ever experienced. I was all alone, and on this day, I truly remembered my friends. Black had betrayed me. He had betrayed everyone. For the first time, I got no cards, no wishes, nothing. No one who was in fit shape to remember knew of my birthday. It was awful. It hadn't felt like my birthday at all. I was alone.

**I never remembered to celebrate my birthdays after that until my thirty-fourth. I was at home, changing jobs all the time...there was no use remembering my birthdays. It was too strong a reminder of my past, of my times I was near human. Everyone knew I was a monster, there was no sympathy for me. As a monster, I didn't deserve to live. I have no idea why I continued to keep going, despite my lack of use in society.**

Thirty-Fourth Birthday

It was quite clear, when I got my job at Hogwarts, that my attempts to run from my past were futile. I was celebrating my birthday at Hogwarts once more. The memories, most good, now seemed bittersweet. I had been betrayed, and any good memory could not be remembered as good if Black was present. I spent most of my Hogwarts life with a traitor, a Death Eater. I remember Severus hissing in my ear that he had the power to tell the world the truth about me. That had been Black's fault. Now, I was being interrogated about Black; it seemed that the past was out to haunt me. No one cared it was my birthday. I was alone.

Thirty-Fifth Birthday

I had my friend back! I wasn't allowed to see him, as he was on the run, but the fact I knew he was there was enough. He sent me a letter – a letter! – wishing me happy birthday. Physically I had been alone, but in my heart, I knew there was someone out there who cared. Sirius was back. My friend was back.

Thirty-Sixth Birthday

Sirius and I spent the day together. I took him out to Hogsmeade as Padfoot; we remembered the old days. He had got me a gift. The gift of happiness. I was so sure that nothing would happen that could slip me back into a depression once more.

Thirty-Seventh Birthday

I spent the morning with Nymphadora Tonks, a woman I loved, a woman who loved me. At least, that was what she told me. That was her gift. The gift of love. As much as I was rejoicing that she had returned my feelings, I couldn't sentence the woman I loved to a life of aloneness. No one deserved to be alone. So I ran. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a werewolf who was being shunned by society. I wished that the stigma of werewolves would disappear, and the threat of being alone, or causing someone such, didn't exist.

Thirty-Eighth Birthday

For some unknown reason, I seemed to know that this would be my last birthday. Life was at a high for me. My handsome son, Teddy, was there to share it with me. But I knew something wasn't right. As Nymphadora served the giant cake, I felt an odd sensation in my stomach. I knew it would be my last. Upon the candle, I wished for Teddy to be able to live life to the fullest, and never have to suffer on his birthdays as I did.

_Even after his death, Remus' birthday continues to be celebrated worldwide. If only he hadn't been snatched from the world so cruelly, he would have seen what he had started. He would have felt vindicated. Let us remember Remus Lupin, who died a hero, for the greater good. Let us celebrate his birthday every year, so that he doesn't ever have to go through one alone. Let us remember Remus Lupin, a brave man, who never stopped trying. Let us remember him every year on March 10, and remember all he had to go through, but he never gave up. Remember Remus Lupin, the tame werewolf, and the kindest man we ever knew._

**A/N: Oops. Okay, I lied. It was _supposed _to be lighthearted, but as my friend pointed out, I wrote about Remus. Oops. Nevertheless, Happy Birthday, Remus. Together, we will never forget you. You will never fear abandonment. If only you could see what the world has become now. I wish you could have been born now, without the paranoia of being alone. You will never be alone again, I promise. I hope you realize your importance for every "lesser" being in society. We will never forget you. We wish that you could have been born now, and seen the world. You, Remus Lupin, have redeemed the existence of werewolves. You proved that they are human. No werewolf will have to fear abandonment. We will never forget what you have done for society. Happy Birthday, Remus.**


End file.
